Walking meditation

One of the things I like to do when I can is to use my walking as a form of meditation. It's a bit easier to do if you are not battling heavy wind or rain at first, though this sort of weather can come to be even better conditions in which to practise.

I start off by becoming aware of my actual body as I walk, the whole of my body at first, from my feet to my head, and bring awareness into the movement of my whole body. Interestingly, just at this early stage I find my walking has usually slowed down a pace. Then I bring awareness more specifically to my feet as I pick them up and down and the contact of the surface under my feet.
If I am walking somewhere, I keep some attention on the actual pavement and people/things around me as well. If I am just walking on the field I sometimes just focus on the immediate area in front of my feet and slow my pace right down.

In either case I feel my self relaxing and my awareness increasing and as always seems inexplicable I find I am happier and enjoying what ever my experience is at that time.

Walking down to the local nature reserve I was caught by these thistle type plants with their seed heads blowing loose in the breeze. I stood for ages watching the seed heads blow away and admiring the profusion of soft seeds. My mind slow enough to appreciate the delicate movements from my meditative walking.

In the seen only the seen.

We seem to spend so much of our days surrounded by visual imagery, that it can seem hard to really see the world around us at all. We are used to having the world conceived, mediated and filtered for us by friends and family the media and corporate world. In Buddhism there is this phrase "in the seen only the seen" which is a great teaching about looking at the world. Just looking without adding to what we see.

What would it mean to be able to see clearly for ourselves, to just look?.This is a question or series of questions that I have been contemplating and working with for many years. In my art work, especially photography, it has meant trying to become attuned to the environment around me before I take an image. Waiting for a response from the world around, waiting to be in dialogue before I proceed.

If we can come back to ourselves, through mindful means and then re look at the world around us, we will see a richer and more detailed world and our experience will be much more satisfying.
If you are practising a 3 minute breathing space during the day, just try to notice the quality of your gaze immediately afterwards. Taking a few moments to be present with our awareness can change our ability to see the world.

Day Retreat 27th March

Ian Holder and I are holding a day retreat on Saturday March 27th 10.30-4.30 at Langdale House.
A retreat is an ideal way to deepen and develop or learn about meditation. A chance to take time out and experience yourself more fully, to uncover the true wealth of the heart-mind connection and to take new insights and methods back into your business and home life.

The theme is mindfulness and will include short talks, meditation and reflection practises.
you are welcome to join us whether you are new to meditation or more experienced.

The day costs £75 per person for more info or to book e-mail Wendy, wendy@padmayogini.co.uk or Ian, ian@3cpartners.com

Working with the seasons in our practise.

It seems as though the first signs of spring are appearing around us in London, the daffodils are finally coming into flower, with grape hyacinth and crocus and buds swelling and opening on some of the dormant plants and shrubs.

It is a time of year traditionally and spiritually for re-birth and renewal and I find that spring gives me renewed energy for tackling new things.
We can use the benefits that the seasons give us for our practise of meditation by tuning in to the world around us, whether that is our garden or parks, woods or other wild places.

Bringing our mind imaginatively to these signs of spring around us in nature, before we meditate or practise can imbue our practise with more energy, optimism and and joyfulness. We are all connected to this world of ours and being more consciously connected this spring can be of real benefit.

Creativity and Meditation

One of the things I've found in my practice of mediation is how it has benefited my creativity. One of the things I first noticed when I learnt to meditate was how similar the feeling of concentration, of being absorbed in the practice of mediation, were to being in the flow of creative work like drawing and painting, in my case.

Meditation also brought to mind many creative ideas. Our minds are clearer and accessing deeper levels of our consciousness when we meditate and by clearing a bit of the every day chatter and clutter of our mind new projects and creative ideas can often surface when we practice,I usually say to people who find that they have creative ideas, or find themselves planning creative projects in their meditation, that they have a couple of choices, either they can decide to think about the new idea after they have finished meditating or if they know it will be too distracting, write down a few notes about their ideas and get back to their practice.

I have taken both approaches and find that taking a few moments to note down ideas need not disturb my practice very much, and because my mind is clearer meditation can become more settled and deeper as a result.